


The Maltese Thief

by Who_First



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Ninjas - Freeform, Thief and Detective au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-31
Updated: 2012-10-31
Packaged: 2017-11-17 11:33:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/551098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Who_First/pseuds/Who_First
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Jason is a Detective, and Tim is his favorite criminal obsession and case, Jason's fighting to put away the pain in his ass, Tim is fighting to grab whatever shiny things catch his eyes, and both are fighting against the villain trying to use Tim for his own greed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Maltese Thief

**Author's Note:**

> With art by Tee-Sama here http://tee-sama.livejournal.com/23558.html

Jason didn’t wait for the car to stop before he was jumping out, drawing his gun from his shoulder holster, racing towards the museum. Roy was already shouting as the police car jumped the curb and ran over the maintained grass before stopping. 

And there was another angry letter in their future. Getting a nice big collection of those in their partnership.

This time he was going to catch that fucking thief. Going to catch him and put him behind bars for good and laugh about it. He could always arrange visits later,, to properly show his amusement at seeing the thief behind bars and no longer Jason’s problem, but this time he wasn't going to be the one on the floor drooling while the other lectured him on the importance of safety.

No one would really care if he accidentally shot the bastard’s ass off in the pursuit of justice. 

The main lights were off, just the dim security lights left on when the museum was closed to all people. If only thieves would get the hint. Leaving Jason to dart through heavy shadows and past eery exhibits. 

It was dead quiet. Jason’s thief was a little too good when it came to alarms, of any kind, to let the alarms go off before he decided to invite the police. Thank fuck for back stabbing crooks willing to deal for less prison time. 

Roy would be way behind him, setting up the other police outside, and calling museum security to track down anyone suspicious that might have been hanging around. Which there never was. They still hadn’t figured out where or when their Banshee would stake out the museums before his heists. 

And there he was.

Jason spared a split second of admiration, the long and slim body hanging from the glass ceiling, like moving shadow under the moonlight. Flexible, daring, and good. And very fucking irritating.

He let his flash light click on, illuminating the hanging figure like a spotlight, grinning as one hand went up to shield eyes from the influx of brightness.

“Freeze.” Jason grinned wildly, gun up and pointing at the hanging man, slowly advancing into the large room. “Think about fucking around and I shoot.”

A short pause let the thief twist, just enough so that his head was leaning backwards to spot him, the bright blue eyes gleaming in half light. 

“Detective.” And he had the fucking balls to sound surprised. “You’re early!”

“Yeah. We got this great tip off.” Jason drawled. “Drop the jewels and get down from there. Slowly.”

The thief didn’t swing, just hung upside down, suspended in mid air, with his long legs wrapped around the thick cord and hands still inside the jewel case. The muscles were held to tense in place to let the swinging motion start. He was probably fondling the museum pieces as they spoke, fight or flight instincts kicking in, with the urge to take the money and run.

“If I must.” Was finally drawled. “I don’t suppose you’d call this one a draw and let me go?”

“Try running and see what happens.”

Banshee followed the order, dropping the expensive rocks and metal back inside the case, teeth a bright slash in the dark as he grinned. The alarm went off seconds later with the sudden weight and movement, Jason just stood tensely, never moving his eyes away.

He followed the alarm, slowly loosening his legs and feet and flipping silently downwards, to land in a crouch next to the display case. The line twitched behind him, reminding Jason there was at least one other exit he had to worry about.

Keeping the gun on Banshee at all times, Jason had been this close way to many times before, one hand went to his belt fishing out the set of handcuffs. Watching for any signs of movement from the thief, no tricks or super tasers, or even the screaming distraction that gave the thief his name. 

“Hands up Banshee. Any sudden movements and I will fucking shoot you. No fucking tricks this time.”

“Really? I’m unarmed. You know I hate real weapons. Guns anyway.” Banshee shrugged loosely. The smug smile still playing across his face. “I’d never _really_ try to hurt you, we have been working with each other for two years now. If I didn’t like you, I would have scared you away two years ago.” 

“Working together? That’s what you call me chasing you?” Jason snorted as the hands finally went up, gloves just as dark as the rest of Banshee’s outfit. “And the fuck you never hurt me. What do you call two months ago?”

“You stepping in the way of my taser.” Another shrug. “I told you it was dangerous and packed a punch. How is it my fault you still decided to test it?”

“Yeah. You told me _after_ you fucking shot me and sat around to watch me twitch.”

“You twitched very satisfactorily.” 

Jason really _was_ going to shoot the jerk off thief if he kept this up. 

Slim shoulders shrugged.

“Stop moving.” Jason reached for his radio. “Todd here. I have him covered. Area 4, the one with the stupid glass roof and expensive bits just lying around.”

“They practically asking for their ‘bits’ to get stolen.” Banshee agreed solemnly. 

Jason leveled a glare on the motionless thief. Just because he thought that and questioned the stupidity of people in charge... 

Banshee rolled his eyes, practically rolling his head to get across how pointless he thought this was, tapping one foot in place.

“Jason, I thought we were past this.”

“We’re past it when you stuff you down the darkest hole we have.”

There was a heavy sigh. The kind Jason got from certain parties that will remain unnamed. Banshee was looking almost apologetic when Jason stopped gritting his teeth.

“I really wish I didn’t have to do this.” The hands were at head level, sleeves tight enough that Jason didn’t think it was possible to have anything under them. “But I’m in a hurry and you seem tetchy tonight. 

“Shut up. You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Not that you ever fucking do.” Jason started, taking slow steps forwards. “Just stay still Banshee. It’ll be over before you know it.

Blue eyes glittered as the flashlight swept over them. The fucking thief was smiling.

“Well mostly.” He returned.

There was a brief moment, the feeling of deja vu, as something moved in the corner of Jason’s eye, the wind shifting or something. Then pain exploded, back arching, muscles spasming as electrical currents zapped through his body.

Jason fell, still twitching and cursing life, seeing his gun kicked away by another dainty black foot.

Tim was looking at him in almost concern, and still that damn hint of smugness, as a second thief walked up next to him. Jason blinked, muscles still weak and twitching as they leaned over him.

Female. Banshee’s age, same black as sin hair, Asian features and the stunner from hell and Jason’s worst nightmares.

“Bye Jason.” Banshee waved, his partner easily reaching into the broken display case and removing the trinkets he’d been holding before Jason showed up. “She’s a little sorry about the tased thing.”

The woman stepped up, head inclined as she nudged at Banshee, before nodding at Jason.

“Okay she’s really not. But maybe we’ll see you next time.”

Jason watched, making one attempt to roll closer to the pair so he could bite their ankles off, which didn’t quite work considering the amount of twitching going. The length of rope still hanging from the ceiling was abandoned, thieves looping arms, carefully stepping over Jason before walking out. 

Growled words followed behind the dark figures, seeing as how he couldn’t quite reach their ankles, seeing them exit the room before the twitching darkness spread and took over.

Waking up to Roy’s grinning face was enough to make Jason wish it had been a gun they used. At least then he might have gotten cute nurses to wake up to, and not the grinning idiot.

“So taser huh?” The bastard laughed before handing over an ice pack. “Didn’t he do that before?”

“Fuck off.” Jason sat up, blinking to clear the flashing lights, didn’t work with all the cop cars sitting around, but he did figure out he was sitting on a stretcher. _Not acceptable_.

At least Roy was nice enough to catch Jason’s elbow before he fell flat on the street, helping him over to lean against the ambulance, before re-handing him the icepack. A roll of the the eyes, _kiss my fucking ass Harper_ , as Jason leaned into the pack.

“You alive Todd?” 

“You won’t be if you don’t shut up.” Jason swore, knees briefly trying to collapse along with his jelly muscles, icepack down and glare. “You see anything? Or did you guys let them waltz out again?”

“Cause you helped so much by getting tased, again, and letting him stroll away.” Roy shot back. “Wait. Them?”

“Yeah. _Them_. Asshole.” 

Jason enjoyed the stunned look crossing Roy’s face. This type of cake was tasty.

“Small Asain female. Same size as Banshee, didn’t talk, short black hair etc.”

“I didn’t see anyone.” Roy muttered looking over his shoulder at the museum. “Wait here, I’ll check if anyone saw a girl.”

“Oh sure!” Jason shot after his partner’s back. Jason could have caught him, he just didn’t feel like moving to quickly at the moment. “I’ll be right here. Bout time you did some of the fucking legwork!”

There was a long pause, in which none of the wandering police officers, paramedics, or any of the type of people who showed up to these kind of fuck ups, blinked. Jason had been a detective for a while now, said associated people had gotten used to his language a while back, like the second day.

Heaving a sigh, it was not weakness, it was taking advantage of a freely given icepack before it melted, Jason leaned back and focused on breathing and beating the nausea. Tasers sucked. And so did the cheating bastards who’d never said anything about having partners before. 

“Maybe you should lay down again.” 

Jason might have jumped, just a little, cause of his partner’s sudden reappearance. 

“I’m fine.” 

“Course you are.” Roy drawled, eyebrows high, as Jason flipped him off. “They’re asking around, but no one I talked to directly saw anyone period. Guy or this phantom partner.”

“She was there.” Jason growled, letting his hand an icepick drop away. “Bitch stunned me from behind. How did you think I got knocked out?”

“Well Banshee got you by himself last time.” Roy smirked. “And I know how distracted you can get. He does have a nice ass.”

“Die Harper. Fucking die.” 

“Detectives.” 

Both men stood straight, well straight-ish, Jason needing to catch his balance, as the Commissioner walked towards them. It was raining now, _Gotham_ , but the older man stood straight as the rain started falling harder, passing his umbrella over to Harper and nodding at Jason.

Who ignored the umbrella being held over his head.

“What happened?” Gordon’s voice was even, not accusing like the last boss Jason’d dealt with, just questioning.

“There was a second person.” Jason said after Harper waved for him to go first. “Banshee called her his partner. Female, looked Asian, around the same age as Banshee. Never spoke. Fast.”

Jason shrugged angrily, glaring over his shoulder at the the entrance of the museum, currently infested with cops moving in and out of the building. And no sign of the thieve’s presence less than an hour ago. Or however long it had taken for Jason to wake up again.

“She hit me from behind, same damn stunner Banshee was using two months ago.” Jason snarled again, more politely than he had at Roy. _Twice with the damn thing_. Ignoring Roy’s knowing smirk and Gordon’s nod. “Incapacitated me and grabbed the shiny things.”

“Some old, expensive as shit, jewelry on loan from the British Museum.” Roy interjected. 

“Shiny things.” Jason repeated, manfully ignoring Roy’s rolled eyes and Gordon’s twitching lips. “Never heard her speak, she was dressed the same as Banshee, moved like a fucking ninja ghost.” 

“Huh. Banshee and Ghost.” Roy nodded, grinning at Jason’s loud groan and Gordon’s soft snort. “It works.”

“I’ll write up a better description in my report.” _Ignore the idiot partner. Ignore_. “Don’t think it will do any good. Harper’s already checked, no one saw an Asian girl.”

“Maybe. Two years and this is the first we’ve heard of a partner?” Gordon asked. “No one ever popped up before?”

“There’s never been a sign of someone else before.” Roy shrugged.

“And nobodies stood out in the crowd.”Jason added before muttering. “But they seemed pretty familiar with each other. He called her partner. We could have missed her, she fucking came out of nowhere.” 

Gordon nodded, looking over at the museum building, hands stuffed back into the long jacket’s pockets, ignoring Roy holding out his umbrella. The museum stayed just as gloomy looking as the rest of Gotham, even with the search lights, sadly failing to give any clue to what the police could do next. Buildings could be annoying like that.

“Okay. See if you can match her description to any of Banshee’s previous heists. Just in case.” Gordon paused, breath fogging, watching the lit up building. “Maybe  someone spotted her in the crowd and didn’t realize. Slight variations in outfit can change the picture as you know. It’s new information. Won’t hurt to try and find something new.”

“You got it boss.” Roy saluted. 

 _Dick_. Jason thought angrily, and he knew thanks to living with some a fucking lifetime ago. _At least Roy is a little useful_. 

“Sure.” Jason shrugged, thoughts traveling back to slim shoulders, and the smirking thief that seemed to live for pissing him off. “We’ll call if we find anything.”

 _Well... after we check it out of course_. 

~ ~ ~ ~

Tim gasped, racing away from the building in fear, panic, despair. Wanting nothing more than to run backwards to Cass. He had to leave her there, even with everything screaming turn around and help his sister, she needed a doctors help now.

Which he couldn’t do if he stayed with her and ended up arrested. 

Falling into the side alley, rain plastering Tim’s hair to his face, he stared back at the building. Hands shaking as he yanked at pockets and fumbled for the slim emergency cell phone. 

“911 emergency.”

“Help!” Tim screamed. “Please! The archive building! There’s been a shooting in the old archive building! They shot her!”

Tim’s arms gave out, curling against the wall and wet street, hanging onto the phone. The rain continued pouring, drops freezing against his bare arm, hiding the hot tears. 

“Please! You have to help! She’s bleeding to death!”

Leaning against the old bricks, focusing on the malevolent building, Tim gasped.

“Send help!”

~ ~ ~ ~

It had been month of chasing loose ends, going back over all the cases and details, and nothing. There was a few things that seemed to make more sense now that they knew Banshee had a partner, guards being taken out to quickly for one person alone, but nothing concrete to point out of she had been there or not.

Roy was fucking annoying during the break, so proud that his name for the partner was sticking to her, and Jason might have threatened to kill him a few times.

“Hey Todd! Got reports, your boyfriend’s back, we got word he’s hitting the archives.”mRoy squinted at the crumpled note in his hand. “Apparently some books and scrolls worth actual money are stuffed in the back rooms. Who’d thunk-it.”

“Who called about it?” Jason was grabbing his gun off the desk, strapping in along with handcuffs and flashlight. “Do we know?”

“Anonymous.” Roy muttered as they raced through the halls. “Called it twenty minutes ago. Dispatch just called me. Said it was a male voice, undetermined age, said Banshee was going to hit the archives this hour,” A glance at the watch. “Or now.”

“Fuck. We sure this is legit?” Jason asked diving for the car’s passenger door. Roy was a pain in the ass but he was a fast driver. Very fast. 

“We’re treating it like it’s real aren’t we.” Roy snorted as the car started up. “So does it matter?”

“Go.” Jason leaned back, eyes half closed as his mind whirled. “Don’t call out the flatfoots yet. Never fucking help anyway, we don’t want any of them to get there first and scare them off.”

“When has anything scared Banshee off?”

Jason snorted in agreement.

“Go faster.”

“You got it.” 

The rest of the drive was in silence, from them anyway, there might have been screaming at one point when Roy drove over some sidewalks. And some mechanical squealing of brakes, maybe a few crunched impacts, along the way. No fatalities of course. Gotham pedestrians were used to this kind of driving. 

But the strobing red and blue lights got the people to stupid to rum out of the way. Killing the lights when they got a block away from the building. Roy slid the car up to the looming building, which looked a little darker and more foreboding than the museum had been, killing another curb in the process with all the pity of a serial curb killer.

Jason jumped out, letting the door hang open, moving towards the building as fast and silently as possible. If the thieves were really here he wasn’t going to be the one that let them know the detectives were right behind them.

“Wait!” Roy was leaning back in the car, radio squawking in hand, looking up at Jason in shock.

“What?” Jason glanced hurriedly at the locked building. Something was wrong. He needed to get inside, _now_. 

“We have reports of a shooting!” Roy shouted, leaping out of the car after Jason. “Dispatch just reported someone called in a shooting at the old archive!”

A shooting at the dea- _very_ _quiet_ building. _Motherfucking thief was going to get himself killed_. Not that he cared, but the paperwork from murders was more than when chatty thieves felt like meeting up. And it was nice not being shot at.

He wasn’t going to touch the stun gun, taser, issue. 

“Shooting? Banshee never fucking carries guns!” Jason shouted back, giving up pretense at staying quiet. 

Jason glared, at no one in particular, as they ran towards the building, racing up the steps two at a time. The doors slowed them, leaning open and broken glass covering the entrance, detectives stepping carefully inside as they covered the hall. 

They raced down the right hallway, slowing down as he came up to heavy doors hanging open. The gun came up, flashlight off but right underneath the weapon, edging close to the wall as he moved forwards. 

“Shit!” Roy hissed, ignoring the obviously locked doors and heading for the broken ones, his own piece at the ready besides Jason. “We’ve gotta find them quick.” 

Approaching the dark entrance, back to back, Roy moved behind Jason, fist up as they prepared for attack. Jason breathed slowly, inhale, the gun came up, flashlight blinking on weaving across the room. 

Nothing.

Desks and rows of bookshelves greeted them. Papers were stuffed in all the nooks and crannies, thick with old decay and mold, absorbing the light. Roy pressed up against his left, sharp eyes jumping around for anything out of place, slowly stalking into the room ahead of Jason. 

Fuck, Roy, was silent when he bothered to shut up. 

The other detective looked back, nodding to the middle row between the shelves, moving silently down the far left path. The gun kept close to his body, careful steps taking him down the row, back to the wall as he peered around wood and paper.

His own gun and light steadied, Jason followed, almost as fucking quiet as the redhead. 

One exhale moving deeper into the shelves, and relief at not having Banshee in a bloody pile to greet them, still moving forwards. Jason couldn’t hear Roy, _fucking silent crap but this once he could trust his partner not to fuck up_ , as they stalked around the shelves of musty paper. Eyes wide, waiting for that one sign of something wrong, as they paralleled down the dank corridors, waiting for anything out of the ordinary.

The radio at his side grew heavier with each step, _the Commissioner is going to have a fucking stroke when he finds out_ , Jason’s heart was thudding in his throat. Something was. The only thing he could hear was his own footsteps against the waxed floor. 

 _Exhale_. Jason passed through two more open areas, long desks still covered in left over work from the day, catching glimpses of his shadow partner as they moved, and what seemed like hundreds of more shelves. Feelings of unease, _just this once don’t end in fucking bodies and paperwork_ , tangling up in his gut. 

Jason twisted around the next the fourth open section, _inhale_ , desks shoved aside, glass from the window covering the floor, books pulled off the shelves and tossed across the floor. Racing forwards, heart in his throat in pure panic, as he skidded beside the body. 

“Roy!”

The motionless body twisted on it’s side against broken shelves, blood and glass shards shining darkly in the cold light of the flashlight, books and wood shelves lying atop the body where they fell. 

The gun and flashlight fell away, throwing the books away as Jason gripped the arms and pulled him over, warm blood sticky against his fingers. Hand shaking as he felt at the cool throat for movement, other searching for the wound.

All of Jason’s focus was on his thief, hesitantly pulling the limp form into his lap, dark silky hair covering the face, hands pressing at the dripping wounds and keep the blood inside the slim, too cold and motionless, form. 

The body in Jason’s arms shuddered as his questing fingers sunk into the torn meat of the left shoulder, shot, a tiny gasping whimper, from either of them, nausea rising in Jason’s throat when his finger sank into the hole.

Movement, Roy sprinting past, in the corner of his eye, shouting as he ran. The limp head rolled into Jason’s chest as he started to look up, Jason forgetting about Roy in the split second.

It wasn’t Banshee. 

_Fucking- female. This is a girl._

Ghost. Relief crashed into Jason. It was Banshee’s partner. The small Asian female they couldn’t prove even existed, looking bloodless as she sprawled across his lap, eyes closed, and her short black hair looking uncomfortably like Banshee’s. But it wasn’t...

“Jason!” Roy dropped next to him, gun banging against the floor, eyes wide. “I didn’t catch him, other guy got away!”

“Call for an ambulance.” Jason hissed, pushing Ghost flat, fist against the bleeding gunshot. “Now!”

“Fuck! Is that-”

“Ghost! Call for the fucking ambulance!”

The radio was yanked close, and Roy shouting into it, Jason still focused on the young woman bleeding out on the floor. The shuddering had stopped, tan lips getting a blue cast, blood hot and heavy against his hands.

“I’m gonna kill you Banshee.” Jason was punching her chest, hard compressions, swearing louder. “You better not be dead you stupid-”

“Fuck! Roy!”

~ ~ ~ ~

Jason chugged the cold water, before collapsing in his desk chair, trying not to imagine what could have happened to Banshee. He might not have known the male thief had a partner all this time, but now way would Banshee have left her... Anyone that would go through so much trouble to make sure no one was ever hurt, apart from zapping pissed of detectives, in his heists would do that to his partner. 

“The lab geeks think it was a partnership dispute.” 

He glanced up, seeing Roy standing awkwardly, hasty report in one hand as he looked down to meet Jason’s glance. 

“The crime scene feels off to me, but so far everything they have points to two people. There was at least one other person their. No gun found at the scene, and she didn’t shoot herself, but no unknown prints or any that have been flagged in the system.” Roy drawled, looking over the report of the Jane Doe’s wounds. “She still hasn’t woken up by the way. And no id popping on her prints.”

Jason massaged his forehead, pinching the bridge of his nose, as he thought. 

“I, we, know Banshee. He wouldn’t have shot his partner. If she’s really been working with him all this time, he went to a lot of fucking effort to keep her out of the spotlight. He doesn’t even cary weapons.”

Roy nodded in agreement, finally sitting across from Jason, as he listened.

“The strongest thing these bastards carry is the damn taser.”

“And you know that’s strong enough for your nerves.” Roy smirked briefly. “Hell of a bang.”

“Pack’s a punch.” Jason quoted, snorting as Banshee’s smug face flashed. “But that’s the point. And someone called us in, knowing we’d find her.”

Roy squinted, leaning forwards across the desk.

“You think Banshee called us in.”

“I don’t think someone that tried to kill her dead would have called us. And no one who wasn’t there could have known.” Jason bit out. “And no fucking way did Banshee want her dead.”

“You’re putting a lot of faith in a thief. IA’s going to be all over you when this gets out.” Roy warned leaning back as Jason groaned. “Just warning.”

“You know him too.”

“Not as well as you apparently do.”

“Fucking die Harper. You got anything else?”

“Not much. Kory down in the labs was looking at the pictures the EMTs took, in between trying to save her life of course, that someone else might have tried to stop the bleeding.” Roy rolled his eyes at Jason’s sudden vicious smile. “Yeah, yeah. Proof to you. And the Docs said they pulled some threads out of the wound in her shoulder, don’t know if it was just from her suit yet or if there was extras for sure.”

Jason made a grab at the papers, growling when Roy leaned back, pulling them closer. 

“Uh uh. Gordon says you need to go home. Get some sleep.” Roy saluted, with the papers in questions. “Go away. I’ll gives these to you after you get some sleep, that way the poor helpless techs have some time to get results before you start trying to kill them.”

Jason growled again, but his eyes were hovering a bit to close to closed an he knew it. 

“When I get back..”

“I know. We’re going to be working overtime.” Roy snorted. “Fuck off before I tell on you.”

~~~

After another couple of hours, useless arguing with Roy, and waiting impatiently to see if the Ghost would wake up, which didn’t happen, Jason was outside his apartment. Not a room he ever visited often.

The door to his apartment swung open, jerking the keys out as he stumbled in, letting the door slam close behind him. All he could hear was the dull thudding of the rainstorm outside, trying to break down his one window as it grew heavier. 

Keys were tossed to table, one and only real table in the bachelor’s pad, almost skidding off the other side, before hitting more reports and papers. Probably all from the Banshee case. 

Jason groaned deeply as he stepped toward the couch, sure there was his bed in the smaller closet like room, but the couch was comfier. Way comfier and-

“What the hell are you doing here?” Jason snarled, 

Banshee shivered, water coursing down his face as stood up form the couch. Quick eye glances showed his window was only mostly closed, rain water leaking around the open crack. And the thief was holding his hands up, one arm bare were his sleeve had been torn away, face panicked and scared as he met Jason’s eyes.

Jason lunged forwards, gun holster against his shoulder abandoned, barreling into Banshee and taking them both to the floor. Banshee squeaked as they crashed between the couch and short table, Jason’s arm going across the pale neck and leaning down against him. 

“Please-” Banshee choked as the elbow pressed deeper against his throat. 

“What. The. Fuck. Are.You. Doing. Here.” Jason spit out his grip tightening around Banshee’s neck. “Breaking into my home? What the fuck are you planning?!”

Banshee bucked under Jason’s heavier body, face turning red as the arm choked him, keeping him to quiet and breathless. 

Jason snarled again, let up just enough to hear Banshee sucking in air, sounding just like a siren, or the spirit he was named after. A high helpless noise as the air rushed into abused lungs.

“Talk damn it! We found your partner! Did you try to fucking kill her?”

“No!” Banshee’s bright blue eyes looked so scared, like an animal, pure fear and despair. “I called you! You had to save her!”

“We found her.” Jason backed up a bit more, knees settling more firmly on either side of the thief, getting a better grip as the young man stayed still. “She’s in the hospital. You have two minutes before I put you next to her.” 

“I have information!” Banshee gasped out.

There was a pause, Jason eyeing his thief’s pale and frightened face, and when exactly had Banshee become Jason’s thief. 

“What could you have that would fucking keep me from dragging you in by your hair.” Jason finally hissed, pressing his face closer as he leaned over Banshee’s smaller form.  “I have no reason to trust you. About anything. Your partner is in the hospital. Maybe you shot her.”

“I’d never do that to Cass!” Banshee gasped, Jason stopped, shocked that the thief just blurted out the name like that. “She’s all I have, she’s my sister, and he hurt her to try and make me work for him.”

Jason leaned back, hands finally moving away from Banshee’s throat, settling around his upper arms to keep the thief still as the detective thought.

“Cass?”

“You can call me Tim?” Banshee offered weakly. “I can tell you whatever you want to know. Just help me.”

“Tim. That’s fucking great.” Jason leaned back, eyeing his trapped thief. “I’m on a first name basis with thieves now.”

“Well you were before.” _Tim_ paused. “You just didn’t know my real first name. Banshee worked pretty well. Cass thought it was hilarious I was named after a female Irish spirit.”

Jason ignored the blanch, and influx of more fear as Tim spoke his ‘ _sister’s_ ’ name. 

“Don’t start. Bastard.” Jason snorted, standing up, he didn’t offer Tim a hand, but he didn’t move as Tim slowly got to his feet. “You really are a snarky asshole.”

“Yeah. Cass says’s it’s my best feature. Well she grins more when I’m being snarky to others.” Tim still hesitated, nothing like the sarcastic and proud thief Jason was used to. 

“Start talking already.”

Tim swallowed, dancing backwards until his back was against the wall. Jason’s eyes narrowed as he watched Tim eye the window before swallowing again and putting all his incredible focus on Jason.

“I know who did this.” Tim said slowly, the normally bright blue eyes were focused on the ground as he spoke slowly. “His name’s Ra’s al Ghul.”

Jason stopped, images of boxes and boxes of cold cases, and current ones, all thought to be tied back to a single man. None of which could be tied back to the mysterious Ra’s al Ghul, but a man still thought to be behind the biggest criminal organization in the world. Boxes of murders, assassinations, whatever you wanted to call it. Broken lives and bloody bodies left out in the rain and trash.

“He wanted to hire us for a job, I said no, and he did this.” Tim spoke quickly, all the facts first, like a cop. “He thinks he can threaten Cass into getting me to do what he wants.”

Jason was still and quiet for a moment, watching Tim’s face and the hands clutching at the sleeve still there. 

“What makes you think I’d believe that crap.” Jason snarled again. He did believe it. Two years didn’t mean nothing. He knew his thief. Crowding Tim back against the wall and shoving him up off the floor as he snarled into the thief’s pale face.

“You have no proof!”

“Because you know me!” Tim shouted back, eyes up and glaring, hands grabbing at Jason’s. “I never carry guns. You know that! And I would never hurt Cass. She’s my partner, she’s all I have.” 

“Yeah right. Give me one good reason.” Jason dropped the thief, refusing to feel guilt as the younger man slid down the wall and clutched at his throat. “You’re a thief. One I’ve been chasing for two years.”

“And you haven’t figured out anything about me in two years?” Tim snarled back, getting back to his feet again, and shoving his finger against Jason’s chest. “I thought you were a better detective than that.”

“Keep talking, _Tim_.”

“Ra’s wants me to steal some information from the mayors office, he’s involved with Ra’s league and he managed to get some critical information. The kind that can be traced back to Ra’s.” Tim spoke quickly, the words flowing out before Jason could change his mind. “The mayor says if something happens to him it’ll get sent straight to the police. To Gordon.”

Yeah and Gordon was the straightest cop Jason knew. Would ever know. He could see anyone with information that _might_ be that important would threaten to send it to Gordon. That was the only high up cop you could be sure of that would do something.

“So Ra’s been trying to find it the hard way, but no one’s come up with anything. So he’s trying to get me to do it. And when I said no, he hurt Cass. He told me if I don’t get it to him, he’s going to kill her.”

“Why the hell does he want you to do it?” Jason snarled, fist slamming beside the sharp boned face. “I know he has people that can do that.”

“Knowledge is power.” Tim snarled back, refusing to blink at the threat. “And power over everyone around him is what he wants. By hurting Cass he has power over me. By forcing me to do this for him, he has even more power over me. I won’t let him use me to hurt _anyone_.”

Jason was silent as he stared back. Watching as Tim growled to himself, small motions of his hands like he was trying to strangle someone. Then he stopped, turning around with the big, wet, blue eyes staring through Jason.

“Please Jason.”

He’d heard his name on those lips many times. In many tones and variations, most of them so incredibly irritating that Jason _still_ wanted to shoot him for some of it, but never so scared and pleading as now. Not with that note of desperation.

“I need help. I can help you put Ra’s away. I just... I can’t find that information and protect Cass at the same time, I can’t take care of her when she’s that hurt. And if you want to put him away, we need that info. You _need_ me”

“Say I believe you.” Jason admitted slowly, not that there was really any question, he believed Tim before he believed the tech’s that said Banshee must have tried to kill his partner after an argument. “What now?” 

“Well that depends, detective.” 

Jason jerked, swinging around and going for the gun as he heard the strange foreign voice hissing behind him. 

Fists came out of nowhere, knocking Jason backwards and crashing through his one table, splinters jabbing into his back as he gasped. 

There was a tall man in his open doorway, dressed in gold and green and smirking through and evil genius style goatee. Men were swarming around him, dressed in black like mother fucking ninja wannabes, and diving down as Jason fought back.

He grunted as a foot tried kicking his ribs in, another grabbing his kicking leg and dragging him through splintered wreckage of the table, still kicking and screaming obscenities. 

“Leave him alone!” Jason twisted, getting a glimpse of Tim diving at the ninja wannabes, hearing the deadly buzzing of electricity and gasps of the taser’s victim falling. 

Tim was pretty hot as attacked, kicking, and punching out at anyone he could reach, one of the thugs got behind him, wrapping arms around his waist and yanking him backwards. Jason caught a last glimpse of Tim being thrown into the wall, hands yanked behind his back  and something shining stabbing towards his thief.

Jason kicked harder, desperate to reach the man he’d been obsessing over for two years, no ninja fucking wannabes were going to hurt his thief when he could still stop it.

A sharp pain stabbed into his thigh, Jason jerking against the hands holding him down, seeing one dark clad thug pulling away with a hypodermic needle shining brightly in the light. 

Sinking his teeth down into the arm next his face, Jason snarled at the scream, the thug jerking away and holding his arm as Jason spat out fabric, flesh, and blood. 

He kept fighting, limbs slowly getting heavier with each movement, as the men holding him down grew stronger and larger with each blink. Jason could feel himself being pulled under by whatever drug they’d stuck him with, clouds and fog hiding his thoughts, blackness edging in around his eyes. 

Unable to fight back as one of the thieves punched him, sending his face crashing away into the floor, stars bursting and fading along with most of his senses.

“Be gentle with my Thief.” The aristocratic voice warned sharply. 

Jason’s head was allowed to fall to the other side, watching as one of the ninjabees hefted the small young man into his arms. He wanted to shout, knock the man away from the motionless thief, unable to even stop one of the thugs from grabbing his leg and pulling Jason along the ground.

“He’s very important to me.” The voice continued. “I would hate to be required to discipline you for hurting him.”

Jason blinked, felt like years before he managed to open his eyes again. Anger and panic rising in his stomach as he saw the way the man was looking at Tim. Even lost and mostly unconscious...

“Bring the good detective along.” The sneer with the words ‘good detective’ would be obvious to a year old corpse. “Perhaps he con help convince me lovely Thief to help where the woman would not.”

Jason’s dark eyes, lids heavy and weak, starting to shut for the last time, still met the man’s knowingly dark eyes. 

“But I would not be upset if he was treated less delicately than my, Timothy.” 

Jason’s eyes slid all the way closed, just as the thugs continued the beating, hoping that the man would at least keep Tim safe.

~ ~ ~ ~

Jason woke, head spinning, to mostly darkness. There was some light, looking like it was being filtered through a heavy door. Another few minutes, mostly filled with Jason trying to lift his head up from his chest, and Jason figured out that he was hanging above the ground.

And his hands were in honest to fucking shackles. 

What the hell kind of criminal even had rooms with built in shackles? Nobody _sane_ used dungeons anymore. Ra’s obviously had way more screws loose than your average criminal. Anyone with ninjas.

“Jason?” Tim’s voice had Jason’s head jerking up. “You okay?”

“Tim?” Jason coughed, throat sore and dry as the sahara, but some much panic edging away now that he knew the thief, _my thief_ , was safe. “What the fuck happened?”

“We were knocked unconscious, kidnapped, at some point dropped into Ra’s new age version of a dungeon, and you just woke up? I thought you were there.”

And there was the thief that made Jason want to kill and maim people.

“You. Are a fucking pain in my ass.” Jason sighed heavily, trying to yank on his wrists, which only really got his wrists hurting more. And not to mention feeling like his arms were being yanked out of his sockets with all of his weight pulling on them. 

“You have a very nice ass.” Tim offered in the dark.

Jason opened his mouth to hiss back, stopped, processed the words, and blanked.

“Jason?” Tim finally asked after a few minutes of silence. “Did I break you?”

“Takes more than that to break me.” Jason growled, _lies_ , looking sideways and just barely making out the other man’s form. “You have any idea how to get out of this?”

“I think I did break you.” Tim sounded smug. “Just a little. And of course I do. I’m a thief aren’t I?”

"You're a fucking terrible thief." Jason spat out. 

"I'm not that bad." Tim snorted, Jason could see him twisting in the corner of his eye, pulling his legs up to his chest. 

“We knew about you after your first heist.” Jason gritted his teeth. “The only thing you didn’t leave behind was DNA and fingerprints.”

“And those are two very important things.” Tim snarked back. “And who didn’t realize I had a partner until last month?”

Jason ignored that, it was completely pointless jab anyway, pulling at the shackles again. Trying to see if he could ease his wrist through the tight metal. 

“That just mean’s that your _Cass_ is a better thief than you.” Jason finally bit out after Tim’s smug vibes in the silence became to irritating. 

“She is.” Tim admitted easily. "So I just have other talents that are better."

"Yeah like detective work. Why the hell are you the thief and not the detective." Jason swore as the bonds around his wrist felt like they were tightening with every movement. 

But then the corner of his eye movement was distracting him again. Tim was twisting in half, lower half of his body seeming to go straight up in an impossible looking crunch, bracing against the wall and climbing up, and Jason's mouth was watering a bit too much to continue.

Forget what he said. Tim had to stay a thief, if only so he could go on showing off that freaky flexibility that made the hard lines of his legs and ass stand out. Tim had amazing flexibility that needed to be shared with the world, okay not the world, but Jason.

Because those were some very tasty looking muscles behind the tight fabric. It was a good thing to have Tim looking like that. Gave Jason some really good reasons to keep on chasing his favorite little thief. The arm missing the sleeve of the dark silky material, looked even better as the pale skin shined in the small bit of light sneaking into the room. 

"Gathering information is very important work. And hard work if you think about it, I can’t just call up minions to do the hard work for me like detectives." Tim grunted. Jason was a bit lost as the thief continued their conversation. "And if that makes me seem like a detective, well it happens. Perhaps we need to switch jobs."

Jason rolled his eyes, not that it did much considering Tim was still doing his odd mid air yoga handstand thing in mid air against the wall. 

Tim snickered shortly in the silence.

Jason stayed silent, now Tim was doing some kind of mid air upside down split, watching in a complete lack of surprise as the thief made lock picks appear. Tim had super powers when it came to pulling lock picks out of thin air. Normally very irritating but right now it was useful.

There was a few times Jason had managed to get cuffs around Banshee’s wrists, not including the time of the first taser incident. 

“It was one of the options. Just didn’t work out.” Tim continued muttering, he grunted, swearing briefly at the metal.

Jason made a note that mechanic locks seemed to give Tim the most trouble. He’d probably need to remember that.

Then metal was clicking, and the thief was flipping forwards, landing in a crouch where Jason could see him easier, staring up at Jason with huge his huge blue eyes. There was an instant where Jason could see Tim eyeing the door, hands twitching in indecision. 

“We had a deal.” Jason warned, watching the slinky form tensing, he knew exactly how his thief thought. 

“We still have one.” Tim rolled his eyes, unfurling his form, and stepping closer to Jason’s form. There was a sharp grin, the kind Jason has last seen right before he was tased into unconsciousness. “Brace yourself.” 

One hurried intake of breath and Tim was crawling up Jason’s form. One foot came way too fucking close to his crotch, bare toes digging into his stomach and pants. And then... Crap. Tim’s knees settled, sharp and boney, on his shoulders.

_Motherfucking craptastic sonuvabitch. He did not fucking deserve this. Well maybe after the whole Boston incident. But not really._

Tim’s aforementioned tight clothing stretched tighter as he settled in. His crotch was well outlined and practically pressing against Jason’s face as he played with the cuffs.

“How.. uh.” Jason swallowed heavily, trying not to stare cross eyed at the pleasant package. “What did you mea. Becoming a detective was one of the options?”

“Mmhmm.” Tim twisted, muscles flexing under the skin tight suit as he hummed. “We had a few ideas with what to do. Damn it.”

Jason closed his eyes and tried to remember that this was the thief that had tasered him multiple times with glee.

“How’d you end up choosing?” Jason whimpered internally. 

“Well Cass liked the idea of being professional ballerinas or maybe deep sea divers. She has odd tastes. And I liked being a detective or archaeologist. Almost... There wasn’t too many ideas we agreed on.” Tim sucked in a breath. “So we decided to pool all our ideas and pick one out of a hat.”

Jason paused. That was.... so incredibly stupid and farfetched he forgot about his burning dick and Tim’s crotch right in front of his mouth. 

There was a click and Jason was falling to his knees while Tim tumbled backwards. Making it seem as effortless as the whole jumping from windows and exploding buildings thing he had going on. Tim could be a bit of a pain in the ass. 

“You what?” 

Tim danced backwards as Jason stood. His little thief was back to looking like a cat. All feral and twitchy as he watched the detective.

“Cass mixed them up and I picked thief.” Tim’s sharp eyes stuck to Jason as he stretched. “We still haven’t decided who stuck that in.”

Jason blinked, still rubbing at his wrists, as Tim spoke evenly.

“You fucking insane.” Jason finally said. “We need to get out of here.”

“I was ready eons ago.” Tim drawled, squatting down, lock picks repairing, as he eyed the lock. “I just thought you might appreciate some time to stretch your limbs. You’re not quite that flexible.” 

Teeth sank into his tongue, trying to keep from growling at the younger man. The same one who was clearly smirking as he probed the lock with delicate metal. 

“Get your ass in gear thief. You’re still trying to convince me not to arrest you when this is all over.” Jason snarled as Tim smirked over his shoulder.

The door clicked open. Just enough to let dim light filter through the crack. 

“What on earth gave you the idea that you could bring me in?” Tim stood fluidly, bowing mockingly as he waved Jason past. “You haven’t managed it yet.”

Jason growled again, gripping the back of Tim’s neck, dragging the thief behind him as he edged out into the hall. 

“Stay behind me.” Jason’s grip moved down Tim’s neck, feeling the tense shoulder, and down the muscled arm to the stiff hand. 

Pulling Tim along behind him, emphasis on behind, watching for any of Ra’s thugs as they eased down the hallway. 

“No problem Detective.” Tim muttered, his fingers tightened briefly around Jason’s making Jason’s heart start skipping beats, his breath warm against Jason’s back. “I’m good back here. It’s only what... fifty percent safer than being in front. I’m sure I’ll be perfectly safe back here.”

And there was the snarky brat that really made him want to hurt someone. Preferably the guy that first put him on this case. 

“Look. Just be quiet.” Jason gritted his teeth at the muffled scoff. “I’m trying to rescue us at the moment.”

“Oh sure.” Jason could hear the rolled eyes. “I’m sure I have nothing helpful to contribute anyway. Not like I can do useful things like pick locks. I’m sure your superior detective skills will save us all.”

“That? Not fucking helpful.” Jason muttered as they walked down the hallway. 

“I’m not paid to be helpful.” Tim snarked into Jason’s back.

“You aren’t paid for anything. You’re a thief.”

“Yep.” Tim sounded a bit to proud of that fact for Jason’s well being. 

“Shut up!” Jason shoved Tim against the wall, listening, he thought he’d heard movement down the hall. “I thought.”

Tim was silent against his back, breathing quickly into Jason’s back, as they backed up.

Ra’s stepped around the curve in the hall, looking just as put together as any male model or mafia boss, surprise ghosting over his face a brief second before satisfaction followed in it’s wake.

“Hello my Thief.” Ra’s purred as he eyed Tim, his gaze shifted to where his men were holding down a struggling Jason. Aristocratic eyebrows rose, eyes and lips going flat as he eyed the detective. “Officer. You are still alive.” Ra’s paused again, letting his eyes shift up and down Jason’s form. “How truly unfortunate.”

Jason jumped away from the wall, yanking Tim along behind him, each step taking then further away from the killer. Tim started wriggling behind him, sharp little nails digging into Jason’s grip, hissing incentives that would earn him a washed out mouth if Jason wasn’t about to fight for his life.

“Please.” Ra’s scoffed as Jason continued trying to hide Tim. “Do give me some respect.”

“Sorry Ra’s,” Tim grinned nastily around Jason’s bulk. “But my Detective only respects criminal of certain breeding and class. I’m afraid that leaves you out.”

“Timothy.” Ra’s grinned back just as evilly. “It wounds me to find you are becoming...uppity in your old age. I fear I shall need to restrict your freedom again.”

“You’re not touching him.” Jason snarled, elbowing Tim back again, possibly resembling a mother bear baring his teeth. “Back the fuck off.”

The man’s expression flattened again, Jason was beginning to get the idea the creepy fucker preferred Tim. It was sad Jason never figured out how to make friends easily. Very fucking sad.

“You are a singularly infuriating individual.” Ra’s swept his disgustingly green coat aside to reveal a rather sharp and professional looking sword. “I regret that I need to kill him my Thief, but the world will be better off for it.”

Well fuck. 

Jason ducked, okay dropped to the floor, avoiding the swing of the sword. Hey, if the sword was moving fast enough to be invisible you would drop to the floor like a sack of potatoes too. A manly sack of potatoes.

“Jason!” 

The kick landed, sending Jason across the floor as Tim gasped, leaving just enough time for him to roll back to his feet as Ra’s lunged. 

Tim grabbed at Jason’s elbow, dragging him along as they ran down the hallway. Jason’s mouth dropped ope as they found themselves in an open area, glass walls to the outside letting him see street lamps and Gotham streets.

Which was when Ra’s hit from behind, blows sending Jason skidding across waxed floors, while Tim was knocked back into the wall.

Breathe, duck, jump, avoid the shiny knife of death trying to cut through his stomach, repeat as necessary. And hope that Tim is actually as smart as he acts and stays over there away from danger. 

The slim form shot forwards, crashing into Ra’s side before he could take of the top foot of Jason’s body. Thief and madman crashed to the floor, Tim landing on top, punching and kicking every part of Ra’s he could reach.

Jason growled, running forwards, Ra’s grabbing Tim’s collar, throwing the small man aside as he rolled. Moving like a striking snake, sword coming back up as Jason launched forwards. He could see Tim staggering to his feet behind them, one hand to his face, as he wavered. 

Moving closer, behind the reach of the blade, Jason’s fist hit home, then a kick to the expensive white shirt, sending Ra’s staggering a few steps before he twisted away from the third blow.

Behind, Tim was up and slinking back to the fight. What part of protection did the little shit not _understand_. 

Jason’s internal seething was cut off, literally, as Ra’s swung the sword, faster than Jason could see. Eyes widened as the death blow rushed towards Jason’s face, at the last moment twisting sideways, as the assassin fell forwards. 

Tim smirked at Jason from where his legs were tangled with the assassin’s.

Sadly the sword was still in play, forcing Jason backwards before he could kick the bastard’s face in. Tim was shoved aside, sword hilt slamming against his cheek, stunning the thief. 

“I will deal with you later, Timothy.” Ra’s hissed, bloody sword at the ready. “Just let me kill the annoyance first.”

“Go ahead and try.” Jason snarled back. 

The first wail was pierced the air along with the sounds of shouting. Red and blue lights flickering through the glass as the cars screeched in.

Ra’s froze. Eyes moving to Tim like a tractor beam. 

The thief hopped to his feet, taking the time to brush off his dusty and ripped clothing,  before grinning serenely at both assassin and cop.

“Wow. The calvary is actually on time for once.” Tim drawled, swaggering closer, grinning smugly as Ra’s stepped away from Jason. Blood was still dripping from where the sword hilt split his lip, but Jason had never seen him looking so hot and fuckable. “You are about to have a lot of explaining to do, Ra’s. I look forwards to watching you squirm.”

Ra’s, still towering over Tim’s slight body, looked down in almost shock. The shock slowing turning to narrow eyed, rueful, amusement. A brief nod, _well played my thief_ , as the blinking lights flickered against their skin.

Tim looked so incredibly pleased with himself as the police swarmed inside. 

Jason launched forwards, sliding painfully, and a little bloodily, across the floor, catching Tim’s ankle before the thief could do his disappearing act. Like the pain in the ass thief he was.

Of course the ankle in his hand froze, as much as an ankle could, Tim gazing down in curiosity as Jason realized he was holding onto an _ankle_ and Tim could probably kick his head off from this angle. But at least Jason would die with a great view. Anyway...

“Hey. Um..” Jason paused. Finally had his thief in hand and his tongue was vacationing in China. “So.”

“So?” Tim’s upside smile was still awesome. Smug and evil as always. 

 _Was wanting to punch or kiss the smile of Tim’s face a bad sign_?

“Date? Tomorrow at seven? I’ll let you buy dessert.” Jason grinned, and maybe the blood dripping from his skull was leaching out some of his brains. “Maybe sex?”

“Jason.” Tim cocked his head. “I believe in at least three dates before sex.”

“We’ve had way more than three.” Jason grinned stupidly as Tim bent and wiped blood out of the teal eyes. “I know you enjoy rough foreplay. You like stun gunning me.”

“I do.” Tim smirked. “You make very cute faces when you’re writhing around pain.”

“There, see? Totally dates.”

“Right.” Tim dragged Jason’s form up, really hard to believe when Tim was like the size of his pinkie. Darned tiny little thief. “I’m sorry about your hair. And ear.”

“What?” Jason’s hand went to his ear. _Oh_. _That’s_ where the blood was coming from. “Ow.”

“Yeah.” Tim winced in sympathy. “It hurts more when the adrenaline fades. But it’s only the top part of your ear. Better than your nose.”

Jason just glared, hands still pressed against his bleeding wound, not sure when Ra’s had cut it off. It really fucking hurt though, and Tim was just grinning slyly, as Jason’s hand started dripping. 

“Come along detective mine.”

“You sound like that creepy bastard.”

“Where did you think I learned it from?”

Rolling his eyes, and almost falling over, was a bad idea Jason figured out. The world was heaving, in new and queasy interesting ways, and Jason was going to spilling fucking nasty shit over his pretty thief any second now. 

Blood loss and heads wounds made for interesting company.

“You are disturbing.” Jason confided to the twin thieves. “But I still want to get into your pants.”

“That’s okay-” 

Tim going quiet was a bad sign. Jason had realized this about the second time he ever was unfortunate enough to run into the stunner. 

And fuck. That would be why. Jason really was an idiot.

Cass was grinning as she waved from the hood of Commissioner Gordon’s personal car. Clad in police issues workout clothing and bandages around her hands and head. Sharing the exact same, infuriating, gorgeous, sexy, smug smirk Tim had. Just not as cute. 

“I told you once that life is just easier if you have partners you trust.” 

Tim’s face was _exactly_ like Cass’ as he glanced over his shoulder. Then the young man was running forwards, easily avoiding the cops and arrested minions, to crash into the woman. Both of them giggling crazily as they held each other.

"Cass!"

"Idiot." Cass smirked, hugging back just as tightly, cops still moving around them. “Happy you’re safe.”

"I know." Tim sniffed not so subtly. "I thought he killed you."

"Flesh wound."

"You're evil." Tim giggled helplessly. “Why don’t you ever get kidnapped?”

“Bad guys like pretty delicate things.”

“And you’re not?”

“Am not delicate.”

Jason watched as they continued hugging. Kind of like the hug you give your most important person that just escaped from almost certain death. The breath caught in his throat as the dark heads touched, hands clutching, whispered words exchanged quicker than even a non-concussed brain could keep up with.

The past few hours of camaraderie with _his_ thief fell apart in his mind. So much for thinking Tim might stick around this time. It’s not like they’d gotten that close. It was only two nights of intense pain and adrenaline. And Tim had been working with his Asian partner forever. Or long enough that they decided to become thieves together instead of leaving each other.

He could never compete with that. The fuck. Tim was nothing special anyway. Just a passing fuck he no fucking ties with. Jason manfully ignored the painful salt gathering in his eyes. It was just more blood dripping into his eyes. Not tears.

A hand came around his elbow, quick glance confirming other detectives and not ninja wannabes, helping him along when the sidewalk tried to jump up and eat his legs. 

Jason let the other detectives steer him away from where the two thieves continued talking lowly. He didn’t want to know what they were going to do anyway. He just wanted to get away before that crack in his chest got any fucking bigger and he did something really stupid.

Like cry over someone he never had a chance with.

If he wanted a difficult and cry worthy life he could have stayed with his adopted dad.

~ ~ ~ ~

“Hey Todd!”

“Fuck off Harper. I’m busy.” Jason didn’t bother to look up, Harper was back to his usual irritating self. After a surprising lack of teasing on the topic of certain thieves that were never going to be named ever fuckin- 

“You’re always so cranky.” The voice still managed to stay classy even with the clearly annoyed tone and accompanied rolled eyeballs. Not that Jason saw the rolled eyeballs, he just could hear them. “I don’t know why I ever bother.”

Jason glanced sideways, a slight form just out of focus, while the papers on his desk went fuzzy. Another glance, manfully trying to avoid looking at the guy in front of his idiot partner, confirming that there might be a thief in front of his desk.

“One of these days you could look up.” That snark could come from no other. “I have a few other things to do today.”

Jason finally looked up, Harper grinning like the idiot he was, so very surprising, was standing just behind the young man. The good looking thief glaring at him with hands on his hips. Jason really wanted to know how Tim managed to look imposing when he had his hands on his hips all princess like. 

“Don’t tell me you’ve been pouting this whole time?” And there was the smug grin that Jason normally wanted to smack off his face. “Are you really trying to make life miserable for yourself?”

“Don’t forget me!” Roy drawled playfully, eyebrows waggling as he took in Jason’s shocked face. Shocked meaning that Jason was seconds away from killing either his thief or partner. “But....with that face, I’ll just leave you with Detective Todd.... Mr. Doe. I’m sure you guys have some catching up to do.”

“Mr. Doe?” And someday Jason would kill himself for never being able to say what he really wanted, you know something along the lines of ‘what the fuck are you doing here, you’re going to get arrested you crazy fucking thief’ and ‘thank fuck you’re back you don’t know how much I’ve missed you I....”.

And what came out was silence. Yeah. That was Jason at his smoothest.

“Well...” Tim slid down into Roy’s seat opposite Jason’s. Looking as smugly catlike as ever. “You know how fond I am of D names. It seemed fitting.”

“Fitting.” Jason parried back flatly. 

“Yep.” Tim grinned, looking like his young age for once and not like a thief Jason was going to get into some much trouble from. “Did you miss me?”

Did he miss him?

After months of sleepless nights imagining what could have happened if he’d said something, anything, to the thief. He wouldn’t have had to go out and said he loved the man, that would probably have back fired big time, but there were so many things he thought of that he could have done. Or at least tried, and saved maybe one or two sleepless nights, but in the end...

The urge to dive over the desk and kiss his thief into a coma warred with the desire to dive over the desk and choke his thief into a coma. Good times.

“Where’s your partner?” Jason asked instead. Like the complete and utter idiot he was. Jason wanted to bash _himself_ into a coma. 

“Cass? She’s around. She says hi.” Tim shrugged like it wasn’t that important. Like the other thief wasn’t the focus of his life as previously stated multiple times. “I think she’s at the museum making plans.”

Jason glared.

“Fine. She’s not at the museum and she would stare and attempt to make you feel guilty for something.... but that’s just Cass.” Tim shifted in his seat. “I um... missed you.”

He was fidgeting. Jason’s thief, the ever cool and collected bastard that could take on ninjas, was looking like he was about to be arrested. Which was a nice daydream. Tim in handcuffs was a beautiful sight.

Jason stared back. He had clearly gone insane. Hallucinating thieves after having way too much crappy coffee and Roy’s idiotic chatter. Everything combining together destroy was left of Jason’s sanity.

There was _no way_ his thief was he saying that he missed Jason. Not even if he was fidgeting more than he did under interrogation, cheeks and ears bright pink, teeth busily chewing through the thin lower lip as he sat waiting for Jason to say something.

Still waiting for Jason to say something.

“Thank fuck.” 

“What?” Tim’s eyes went round and confused at Jason’s words.

Jason did what his head, or fucking heart, had been screaming to do from first seeing Tim again. He jumped up and dove over the desk, ignoring the computers and stacks of files that went flying as he tackled the thief out of his chair. 

Their breath was knocked away as they crashed to the floor, paperwork falling around them like snow while other cops and associated stood gaping, eyes meeting as Jason’s hand found one of Tim’s and fit perfectly.

Lips met, still too breathless to do more then press desperately against each other, and Tim to start laughing as Jason held him close. Jason chose to be the better person and ignore the happy laughter, to focused and getting a longer better kiss in between sudden giggles.

“I guess you missed me too?” Tim asked softly when Jason finally pulled back. And after retrieving a decent gulp of oxygen. 

He was faintly aware of cheering in the background and Roy’s snide voice being way to loud and obnoxious. But Tim was underneath him, kissing back, and looking happy about it. So all was well with the world, he just needed to remember to kill Roy and destroy the security camera.

“I love you.” Jason blurted out. 

Tim blinked blue eyes, wet mouth open, cheeks turning bright pink, clearly shocked.

“Well I’m glad I came back then.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

 


End file.
